First Competition

[Mom2NewSkater]

Not sure this is the correct place to post this, but it seemed like the best place.

My daughter will be going to her first competition in the not too distant future.  I have questions.  I've asked her coach the questions but haven't received all the answers yet.  I thought it wouldn't hurt to get other's opinions too.

My daughter will be skating in high beginner for free skate.  She is going to do high beginner for jumps and compulsory too. 

Should I buy practice ice time?  I'm assuming yes.  If yes, how much?  It is in 20 minute increments.  Is practice ice time typically the same day as the events they compete in?

Should I add bling to her dress?  Her dress is turquoise with the sheer skin color long sleeves.  The bodice of the dress has some sequins, but no rhinestones.  The sheer sleeves have some sequins too.  If your answer is it should be up to my daughter and me whether to bling or not, what is typical at her level?  I don't want to bling her out if that is not what most skaters do at her level.  I'm afraid the judges would look at that in a bad way.

Does she need a different dress for each event or maybe two dresses?  I wasn't sure if you typically wore the same dress for things like jumps and compulsory as you would for your free skate.

I figure I'll have more questions as the time approaches but was hoping to get some answers/opinions on these for now.

Thanks!

[twinskaters]

My kids just competed at that level for the first time. We were away (Lake Placid) and their skate was at 2pm on our first full day there (drove up Thursday, competed Friday) so we did practice ice that morning. When my kids compete near home we don't usually do practice ice the day of.

I would bling her dress. I was actually pretty surprised how heavily stoned some kids' dresses were at this level. Both my kids' dresses were stoned, but more of a medium scatter on the bodice and then lines around the neckline than the very heavy patterning I saw. I wouldn't go as far as Olympic level stones but I would add some sparkle and wouldn't worry about it being too much.

I don't know about different dresses as we've never done two events on one day.

Good luck to her, and to you! It's exciting and stressful to be the mom!

[TreSk8sAZ]

Answers in purple below:

My daughter will be skating in high beginner for free skate.  She is going to do high beginner for jumps and compulsory too. 

Should I buy practice ice time?  I'm assuming yes.  If yes, how much?  It is in 20 minute increments.  Is practice ice time typically the same day as the events they compete in?

This depends on your daughter and the competition. Generally, it is a good thing to do a session of practice ice so the skater can orient themselves on the ice, especially if it's at a rink they aren't familiar with. Where are the judges, where do you start, which direction do you go, etc. How long depends on when the practice ice is. I personally don't do more than 20-30 minutes on a competition day - just enough to get my feet under me and feel the ice.

The timing question is competition specific. *Usually* there are practice ice sessions offered each day of a competition. However, some competitions cannot offer practice ice at all, or it is the night before, or only on certain days. Do not be surprised if there is practice ice if it is at 6 a.m., and your daughter's event isn't until much later in the day. That's a call you would need to make on whether it was worth it for her to be up that early compared to when she skates.

Should I add bling to her dress?  Her dress is turquoise with the sheer skin color long sleeves.  The bodice of the dress has some sequins, but no rhinestones.  The sheer sleeves have some sequins too.  If your answer is it should be up to my daughter and me whether to bling or not, what is typical at her level?  I don't want to bling her out if that is not what most skaters do at her level.  I'm afraid the judges would look at that in a bad way.

I would say for a beginner, the sequins would be fine. You are going to see everything from plain velvet practice dresses to super-blinged out dresses. At beginner, even high beginner, I hate seeing the kids too decked out and blingy. We always joke that you have to earn your rhinestones, but in reality a beginners dress shouldn't look like a senior ladies dress. I would see what her coach recommends, and have your daughter skate in her dress once before the competition.

Does she need a different dress for each event or maybe two dresses?  I wasn't sure if you typically wore the same dress for things like jumps and compulsory as you would for your free skate.

Usually jumps and compulsory dresses are pretty plain. I think at her level, it would not be uncalled for if she wore the same dress for all of the events. Maybe a freeskate dress and then one to wear for both jumps and compulsory. But that is also something her coach may have an opinion on.

[DressmakingMomma]

My daughter competes at pre-pre and her dresses are pretty blinged. I sew them so we have a great time designing together, it is part of the fun. I also make dresses for other girls at the rink and on average, I'm using 3-5 gross of stones with a dozen or so larger sew-on crystals. For a girl skating at the later basic and beginning freestyle levels, it tends to be fewer, maybe 1-2 gross of stones. I think this can vary regionally, parents take skating pretty seriously where I live.

I know girls who wear the same dress for all events and I also know girls who wear two dresses - one for freestyle and a basic dress for other events.

As for practice ice, if the rink isn't too far away, we have found that going for a freestyle session during the week before helps ease anxiety over skating at a new place. My daughter loves competitions but she also likes to know what she is walking into and that helps her arrive on the big day feeling at ease. Practice ice is stressful to me because it adds another time you have to pay attention to during a fairly loud and busy day. I get the most stressed out about time since my family has a tendency to wander in all directions - we're an ADHD family, literally. That is my least favorite part, I ALWAYS worry that I won't be able to find anybody when it is time for her to skate.

Good luck, and have fun! It is an adventure.

[twinskaters]

Your post just reminded me that my kids are competing tomorrow and it's small so there is no practice ice. I wasn't bothered by it because I told myself they've skated there before, but I just realized I'm the one who has done that, not them. Oh well! They're in the first two groups, so I guess they'll just have to deal with the unknown.